AR
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Best option to visit Kruger Park (and Panorama Tour)
I have to say that I was traveling alone and hiring a package with Mzansi Experience that included everything (hotel, airport transfers, safaris and food) was the best decision I made after doing so much research and finding out. First of all, the hotel (or camp) is very comfortable, it has heating and air conditioning, a refrigerator and everything you need for a wonderful stay. It is about 30 minutes or 1 hour from the entrance to the Kruger and they organize excursions with specialized guides, they are punctual and breakfast is included. Please ask Michael as a guide, he is the best and with him you will have the opportunity to see many animals, it is incredible. The people at the hotel are friendly and very professional. The experience included the Panorama Tour and it is a must, you cannot leave the place without that excursion. The hotel food is very good and dinners are included, the beds are comfortable. I have to say that for a woman traveling alone I felt safe and cared for at all times. I think that for the person traveling alone it is the best option since there is no public transport nearby and guides are needed to visit the park. I was never charged for two people, which I found very important because many operators there ask you to pay for 2, which is a scam. The package includes being picked up at the airport round trip, it's great. In short, do not find out more, contract with Mzansi and do not worry about everything, without wasting time.
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35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Good
All was good but the real safari is only one and a half day .....the remaining is transport to and from....and all information should be made clear in advance...5%fees applicable on payment....and token should be given to village tours. Else it was ok.
CA
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great tour
Gorilla trekking was incredible and our hotel stops in Bwindi and Bunyonyi were nice, clean and comfortable. Our driver, Farouk, was accommodating and allowed us to deviate from our set itinerary (we wanted to check out a tea plantation instead of a Kigali tour). Communication with Fred was also quick and easy. Our only suggestion would be for better organization in terms of specific locations - we were supposed to go to a viewpoint on the Twin Lakes but weren’t sure where that was. That being said, our driver ensured we still found a scenic viewpoint.
BE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great for Kenya, do not take them for Tanzania
Joseph at Parrot Safaris is a tour organiser that matches passengers to drivers, locations and experiences, and he is quite efficient at it in Kenya. He sent a pick-up for me at the airport, explained the Kenyan part of the trip in his office, and then sent me off with the great driver, Stanley on an excellent six-day safari in Kenya, that was supposed to be followed by a similarly excellent safari in Tanzania.
Unfortunately, Joseph doesn't seem to have a good network in Tanzania and relies on a local partner, Seven Wonders Safaris, with whom the information exchange is not great and who clearly have capacity and organisational issues. Starting on the first day when the shuttle from the border (2.5 hours late) left me at the bus station at Arusha where there was no transportation to my hotel (the Tanzanians blamed the Kenyans for not getting my arrival information, and they did not bother to ask for it), and the company representative was not waiting for me at my hotel as they were supposed to. From there the trip got a bit improvisational as things were organised with about a 12-hour forward look with freelancers doing the pre-arranged itinerary somewhat in reverse and mixing up many of the camp sites. I got a driver for the first day, who then made me get up at 6:30 to say goodbye and wait until 10 for the next driver (scheduled to arrive at 9 or even before) who was supposed to take me on a full-day game drive in Lake Manyara. Well we got about half a day, which I got to enjoy from the navigator's seat as the car was overfilled, and we had to come back at around 3pm to drop of two passengers on their way to the airport and to go back to camp to take my luggage to another camp (as the drivers did not know in the morning that I would be changing camps by the evening) - I got a feeling that the animals were hiding in the hot mid-day period and we effectively missed most of what could be seen. From the third day on the group staid together, but instead of a branded 7 Wonders car we got a freelancer with a broken radio, broken binocular and broken charging outlets (which was a pity given that this part of the trip was in camps without electricity for the next 2 nights). On the last day, we dropped a couple off in a camp, but again the driver could not tell them who would pick them up the next day and at what time... Finally, on my way home, I was supposed to be taken by a shuttle to Nairobi, but instead it was a private car, that waited 2,5 hours after my pick-up for other passengers and luggage. In all this, Joseph had no useful information on what was going on and he could get nothing out of his Tanzanian partners either. While in the end I was never in any danger (apart from being scammed by a taxi driver on the first day) and the elements of the itinerary were mostly ticked off, as Joseph's role is a facilitator of worry-free smooth experiences, I would not recommend his services for Tanzania. Indeed, in general, it might be a better idea to book the two different country safaris with local operators in each country to avoid these communication issues.
As regards the safari, the best experiences are where one can get close to nature and thus bycicling among animals in Hell's Gate in Kenya, and sleeping among zebras with visiting elephants and lions in Serengeti and Ngorongo in Tanzania were definite highlights.
In conclusion, Joseph was a good communicator and organiser for the Kenya part and his information was mostly accurate (he did claim that I would stay in the same group for the whole trip, and he did miss out in listing a number of optional paid activities, or that there would be cook expecting tips in Tanzania on top of the driver/guide that is expected). The driver for Kenya, Stanley was also excellent and while not given the best equipment, our third driver in Tanzania, Godfrey was also very good.
CA
Experience level: first safari
A great few days visiting Mombasa & Nairobi!
I had a lovely tour of Kenya, thanks to the Breezy Tours & Travel team. This was a particularly sentimental trip for me. My vacation began in Mombasa which is where our beloved late uncle was born. He was always so proud to be “Kenyan born” and I wanted to honour his memory by visiting. It was the perfect place to start this adventure. The crystal-clear water of the Indian Ocean was a well admired site after a long international flight.
The itinerary over our four days was carefully thought through. The trip represented great travel for the cost. My booking was relatively easy. Interim questions were handled promptly and thoroughly. The team was professional, reliable and stepped in immediately to handle any minor discrepancies that occurred on the spot during the trip. It was the customized itinerary, coupled with a passionate professional, Jacinta, that made this trip so memorable!
As for the trip itself, it was an eye-opening, adventurous and stunning journey - something I will remember, draw upon and cherish for many years to come. I was thrilled by the diversity of this trip: from experiencing my first safari and game drive in Nairobi to meeting the Masai Mara, visiting UNESCO world heritage sites, while meeting the most extraordinary locals along the way. Thanks again Jacinta and team!
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Uganda/Tanzania safari
Our safari in Uganda was a great experience thanks to our guide Nathan. He was very knowledgeable and considerate. We learned a lot from him while on our drives and even were able to try some of the local food. The cabins we stayed in were closer to being budget lodging I would say but it was nice meeting other tourists and backpackers. The gorilla trekking was an incredible experience.
We didn't get to experience much of the culture in Tanzania on the second leg of the trip given we were mainly in the national parks every day. I would recommend adding a couple days that include hiking or trekking because spending 4-5 days mainly sitting inside a car is way too much.
At the end of the trip we were taken to a large outdoor/indoor souvenir market that was literally 3x the cost of all subsequent souvenir shops we visited. Make sure not to waste your time in there.
The best part of the Tanzania trip was tracking the wildebeest migration and seeing the ngorongoro crater. Don't miss those.
FR
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Once a lifetime experience
When we arrived, our guide Alex and the boss took us to buy communication card sim and took care to stay with us while buying all we need. We have booked the 5 days private Safari in Lodges with all the parcs Tarangire, Ngorongoro, Serengeti and Lake Manyara. The hotels booked by the Safari agency were great, especially the Eileen’s Tree Inn and the Serengeti Heritage Luxury Hôtel.
Alex was a great guide, he did his best for us to see amazing animals. He was respectful of the rules of the parcs, and was a good driver, we felt safe with him taking the wheel.
The only negative point was the lunch boxes that were very basics, cold, and with the same chicken as every day. It’s too bad that we weren’t asked to choose the range of lunch boxe we wanted, as we saw other groups having fresh prepared hot meals.
However the experience was perfect, the 4 parcs are all different from one another, so I advise everyone to do the complete 4 parcs.
NL
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing staff and great service
We had a wonderfull time on our 11-day budget safari trip in Kenia and Tanzania. We saw a lot of animals including the Big Five and the Big Migration. That was really fantastic! Really liked the nature and culture. Both country's were a bit more expensive then we expected.
In Kenia the accomodations were oké in value for money. In Tanzania we had some amazing accomodations but also booked some camping days in to the wild. The camping is really going back to basics. The matress and sleeping bag were a bit thin but nothing really to cold. Nothing that could spoil the sleeping in the wild, where you exit your tent looking at a buffalo.
We really liked the staff we traveled with. Big thanks to Mozes in Kenia and Lucas in Tanzania for being our amazing guides. No question remained unanswered. One last thanks to Nathan, our chef/cook. All our meals were delicious.
We would really recommend to book with Seven Wonder Safari. The organization is fantastic with great service!
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
For what we paid it was great but could use some transparency
Had an incredible time with our guide Anthony in Kenya. The pre-trip coordination to get us paired up with other tour companies for our Uganda and Tanzania portions of our trip was extremely helpful. Wish there had been more communication around the fact it was 3 different companies and how coordination worked between. Also the hours they would tell us for trips were usually only 1/2 the time it actually took- so a “4 hr” trip would take 8. Transparency with operations and transport would make the trip a lot better. The experience was amazing, Anthony did an incredible job at making sure we got to see as much as we could while we were there! We got to see cheetahs, lions, elephants, buffalo, hipppo and so much more
If you do Uganda definitely fly don’t take the overnight bus.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A very nice experience in a beautiful animal park and an awesome camp
Very good organization
A Tortilis camp at the top
A somewhat inexperienced guide with whom the timing was not perfectly respected
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